To Serve Them All My Days
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Author | R. F. Delderfield |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Historical novel |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Released | 1972 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 638 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0340149965 |
To Serve Them All My Days is a novel by British author R. F. Delderfield.
First published in 1972, the book became immensely popular after it was adapted for television in 1980. It was also adapted as a 5-part series of 45-minute plays for BBC Radio 4, first broadcast in January 2006.
[edit] Plot summary
The protagonist is David Powlett-Jones, the son of a miner from South Wales, who, after being injured and shell-shocked in World War I, starts teaching History at the Bamfylde School, a fictional public school in North Devon in the southwest of England. He swiftly earns the respect of many of his colleagues, with the notable exception of Carter, an ambitious science master and leader of the school's Corps, whose military bearing fails to conceal the embarrassing fact that he was deemed medically unfit for military service. Carter makes no secret of his outrage at the content of Powlett-Jones' history lessons, which include recollections of life at the front and honest analyses of the war's political background and potential consequences, which verge on Socialism. Following the Armistice, the two men disagree on whether or not the school should erect a war memorial; David loses the argument but wins the respect of Brigadier Cooper, one of the governors.
Under the tutelage of Headmaster Algy Herries, who views him as a possible successor, David discovers a vocation in teaching. He also forms a close friendship with the curmudgeonly English master, Ian Howarth, and with several students of unique personalities and talents, including Chad Boyer, who will himself become a teacher at Bamfylde. He also acquires two nicknames, "P-J" and "Pow-Wow," the latter owing to his propensity for discussion and debate.
David marries a young nurse, Beth, and with her has twin daughters. Five years later, Beth and one of the twins are killed in a road accident. (In the television adaptation, both children die.) It takes encouragement from one of the schoolboys to persuade David to contemplate life without them, but he carries on for the sake of his surviving daughter, Grace. His feud with Carter increasingly revolves around the mens' diametrically-opposed political beliefs and culminates in a violent confrontation, at which point Herries is forced to mediate an uneasy truce between them.
In the run-up to Herries' retirement, the Board of Governors interviews Carter, David, and two external candidates including a South African, Alcock, for the headmastership. Although David receives much support, the Governors decide to award the position to Alcock, recognising that if either of the internal candidates was elected, the other would feel forced to resign and the school would lose a valuable teacher.
Alcock's authoritarian management of the school brings him into conflict with the staff, some of the students, and eventually David. During this period, Carter and David discover that they have a common adversary in Alcock and become firm friends. After a couple of terms under Alcock, Carter and a number of other masters resign. By this time, Alcock has become universally unpopular among the teaching staff and regards David as the ringleader of the opposition. He brings a formal complaint before the Board of Governors in order to seek David's dismissal. Before the Board can make a final decision, Alcock dies of a heart attack while writing out his resignation. David is appointed as his successor. (In the meantime, having had a brief affair with another teacher some years after his first wife's death, David becomes romantically involved with Christine Forster, a Socialist politician and cousin of a student. The couple marry, and Christine takes a teaching position at Bamfylde and gives David a son shortly after he becomes Headmaster.)
David moves the school forward. As the book ends, World War II has begun, and he is facing the prospect of losing many of his former students in yet another war.
[edit] DVD Release
All episodes of To Serve Them All My Days are available on DVD in the UK and the US.
